Audiobooks narrated by Carra Patterson

"Award-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley delivers a poignant, page-turning novel about the power—and fragility—of family, personal identity, and the choices we are called on to make … Raised by a widowed mother, Jill Reed has come a long way from her difficult youth. But while she may not have had money, Jill never doubted she was rich in love. Her mother, Connie, made Jill the center of her world. Now, even though she has a young family of her own, it’s Jill’s turn to care for her ailing mother. When early dementia begins to set in, Connie starts talking about Jill’s “other life.” Jill assumes it’s just rambling confusion. Still, Connie’s stories about Jill’s childhood, and her father’s early death, never quite added up. And when a strange man shows up to Jill’s job bearing news that turns Jill’s life upside down, there’s no denying Connie’s devastating secret. As Jill sets out to learn more about her past, she’s stunned by what she learns and what it will mean for her future. Now, she must decide what price she’s willing to pay to claim the life that’s rightfully hers."

Reshonda Tate Billingsley (Author), Carra Patterson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures

"Barnes & Noble Best Book of the Year Kirkus Best Book of the Year Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year 4 STARRED REVIEWS Nikki Grimes', Coretta Scott King Award–winning author, latest children's masterpiece creates an imagination-fueled and animal-filled journey to bedtime. 'Has the feel of an all-time great bedtime picture book'—The New York Times It's bedtime. But Mommy's little one is not sleepy. He growls like a bear, he questions like an owl, he tosses his mane like a lion. He hunts for water like a sly wolf, and hides like a snake. Mommy needs to wrangle her sweet creature in bed so that the whole family can sleep. From tigers to squirrels to snakes, the little boy dodges around his bedtime, until he is tired enough to finally sleep. His imaginative animal friends weave their way through the story eventually joining him in curling up for the night. For those seeking children's books about diversity, this loving depiction of everyday shenanigans is sure to become a bedtime favorite. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures is an African American children's book that celebrates imagination, playful moments, and the love between a Black mother and child. 'The mother's loving understanding is demonstrated by how she works with her child's rich imagination, never slipping into admonishment. As such, children will engage with the pajama-clad tot's antics and be soothed by the book's positive tone. A fabulous interpretation of an everyday battle.'—Booklist, STARRED review"

Nikki Grimes (Author), Carra Patterson (Narrator)

Audiobook

He Said, She Said

"Sparks will fly in this hip-hop-hot teen novel that mixes social protest and star-crossed romance, from Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Kwame Alexander! He Said, She Said is perfect for fans of Walter Dean Myers and Rachel Vail alike. This paperback edition includes a Q&A with author Kwame Alexander. He says: Omar 'T-Diddy' Smalls has got it made-a full football ride to UMiami, hero-worship status at school, and pick of any girl at West Charleston High. She says: Football, shmootball. Here's what Claudia Clarke cares about: Harvard, the poor, the disenfranchised, the hungry, the staggering teen pregnancy rate, investigative journalism . . . the list goes on. She does not have a minute to waste on Mr. T-Diddy Smalls and his harem of bimbos. He Said, She Said is a fun and fresh novel from Kwame Alexander that throws these two high school seniors together when they unexpectedly end up leading the biggest social protest this side of the Mississippi-with a lot of help from Facebook and Twitter. The stakes are high, the romance is hot, and when these worlds collide, watch out!"

Kwame Alexander (Author), Carra Patterson, Ruffin Prentiss (Narrator)

Audiobook

It All Comes Down to This

"It's 1965, Los Angeles. All twelve-year-old Sophie wants to do is write her book, star in the community play, and hang out with her friend Jennifer. But she's the new black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, Lily, is going away to college soon; and her parents' marriage is rocky. There's also her family's new, disapproving housekeeper to deal with. When riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, Sophie learns that life-and her own place in it-is even more complicated than she'd once thought. Leavened with gentle humor, this story is perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia."

Karen English (Author), Carra Patterson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Friday Black: Stories

"PEN/Jean Stein Award Carnegie Medal A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The acclaimed debut collection from the author of Chain Gang All Stars; a piercingly raw and, at times, heartbreakingly satirical look at what it’s like to be young and Black in America. From the start of this extraordinary debut, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s writing will grab you, haunt you, enrage and invigorate you. By placing ordinary characters in extraordinary situations, Adjei-Brenyah reveals the violence, injustice, and painful absurdities that Black men and women contend with every day in this country. These stories tackle urgent instances of racism and cultural unrest, and explore the many ways we fight for humanity in an unforgiving world. • In “The Finkelstein Five,” Adjei-Brenyah gives us an unforgettable reckoning of the brutal prejudice of our justice system. • In “Zimmer Land,” we see a far-too-easy-to-believe imagining of racism as sport. • “Friday Black” and “How to Sell a Jacket as Told by Ice King” show the horrors of consumerism and the toll it takes on us all. Entirely fresh in its style and perspective, and sure to appeal to fans of Colson Whitehead, Marlon James, and George Saunders, Friday Black confronts readers with a complicated, insistent, wrenching chorus of emotions, the final note of which, remarkably, is hope. “An unbelievable debut, one that announces a new and necessary American voice.”—New York Times Book Review"

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Author), Carra Patterson, Corey Allen (Narrator)

Audiobook

Pretty Boy Problems

"Publishers Weekly called award-winning author Michele Grant's Heard It All Before a ''scorching debut.'' This sequel follows Roman Montgomery's charming brother Beau, who shows up at his sister's Dallas condo looking for a place to stay. Instead, he finds her new roommate, Belle -- equal parts attitude and beauty -- who wants nothing to do with Beau's pretty-boy act. But when she offers him a job, Beau sees a chance to make something of himself -- and prove he's more than just a pretty face."

Michele Grant (Author), Carra Patterson, Darren Zeigler, Darren Ziegler, Lisa Smith, Simi Howe (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Family Business

"New York Times best-selling author Carl Weber and award-winning novelist Eric Pete team up to deliver the first in a much-anticipated new trilogy. The Family Business features two times the heat, two times the fun, and two times the drama as the members of an unforgettable family (not to mention lovers and hangers-on) find their way in and out of trouble. As their many fans will attest, Weber and Pete share a talent for penning juicy fiction that their audience can't get enough of."

Carl Weber, Eric Pete (Author), Adam Alexander, Carra Patterson, Corey Allen, Ezra Knight, Michael Early, Patricia R. Floyd (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Choir Director

"Carl Weber is a New York Times best-selling author who's made a name for himself with wildly entertaining works marked by his trademark wit and storytelling panache. In The Choir Director, Bishop T.K. Wilson is banking on dynamic new choir director Anthony Mackie to reverse the failing congregation's fortunes. But while Anthony's got more than enough chops to raise a heavenly chorus, he's also got a weakness for the ladies that could make the Devil himself stand up and take notice."

Carl Weber (Author), Adam Alexander, Carra Patterson, Jennifer Kidwell, Mark Damon Johnson, Patricia R. Floyd (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Carra Patterson